BoTANjF. fóuth by the fnowy fuinmits. of the Altaian, and other mountainous
chains. As-riie winters are of great 'length and fev^xity throughautt-fhe
whole-.of.this Jtraét, none but.,the hardieft, vegetables are-;found.to; in-'
habitat.,-; The oak, and the btaz,|^^hjGb?endure the 'rigours of a.German
winter without .{hrinking, cannot exift in a Siberian, climate
.dwarfifh fpecimens in^ed >pf each may be traced at the foot of the
Ahaiaii mountains, quite acrofe Alia, as far as the banks of the river
Amur, in Daouria, where, being..fcteened from, the; northern -blafts,
they refume their natural ffize, but all that attempt to penetrate,north-
•\yard become .more diminutive, as they advance, and foon entirely dif-
appear. Even the common heath, vand -bog myrtle, (myrica
which cover the fower parts of Lapland, venture but a very little way
eaftward of the Uralian mountains.. We are not however^ hèpce fa
conclude that the mighty rivers of Siberia pour,.their evena(rin,g;%§ams
through a barren wafte ,of perpetual foow-; on ,thq. contrary they are
bordered with inexhauftible forefts of birch, qf alder^qf lime, of Tat a-
rian mapIe,ofbIack and white poplar, “and afpen,f betides. millions .óf
noble trees of the pine ipecies* fuch as the fir, the ^Scotch pine, the
larch, the- ftqne pine, and yew-leaved f\r. Npr. duri(ngi th-eir fhoxt,
hammer are they deftitute of many -beautiful plants, thaf lie concealed
under the fnow during the greater part of the year; fevexal ofvfhe
orchisriribe afe,natives of the Siberian fofeft$, fuch.p^yppipedju^.bttl-;
bofum, fatyrium epipogium, ophrys monorchisj^and the Iplendid
orchis cucullqfa: the lily of the valley, the black and white hellebprje,
the Siberian irigy and anemone, blinding with the whitp. feathery
fiower-fpike of the fpirsea trilobata, thali&roides, altaiea, or Karntfcha-
tica, form an alTemblage of fragrance and beauty, unequalled by many.
more fquthem countries..
The . Siberian plum, and crab (prunus JiUricps^ and pyrus’Paccata^)
the mountain afh,% the daphne Altaiea, and Tatarian honeyfuckle,,
(lonieprA tdtaric^) robinia frutefeenis, and aïtagana, Tatarian mulberry,
(morus tataricus,) and the daourian rofe form thickets of ex-
quifite beauty, under {belter of tfhich arife the white flowered peony,
the gentiana glauca, algida, altaiea, ahd feveral congenerous fpeciés,
allium fibiricum, amaryllis Tafarica, afphodelus Tataricmp, lilium fcamtfchatenfe,
chatenfe, the yellow' far^pn^jily, whofe roots are a-favourite food with Botany.
the, Tatarian - .tribes, and ai ..multitude of others, , a bare, lift qf whofe t
names would be neither amufing.. nor inftru£tive. The modes, and
heaths are inhabited by feveral;-elegant flirubby plants, ,among% which
m a y T a t a r i c u m , - a n d
'Kamtlphaticurn i -aqdromeda ’ taxi^ilia; and lbry^^fo:^ j j ;tqge^ber ,^ith.
rubus chamemorusj and others, that are found in firailar fituations in the •
north rifpEurqpe. Only tjjro- phmtsit ipqrq- need njentioned, the
h^ajoleum. panoses, add- ifibirieum,; from tdje^ied, Jial’^s^qfw^iclvfhe
natives.Jprocqre- a-, faQch^itSepfmq^6ftet\c’9 ^ ^ ^ f e m e p t a t j q ^ ,
and diffiparion, coarfe ardent.fpiritia macklthat enables tbern^ enjoy
the fupbeme beatitude of all the northern nations, drunkennefs. I
Siberia has liithei:to;.been found to pofTefs fcarcely any»‘p$quiiar?gener'a
qf plan®.: an*S aifithetfpfeck^,> of any^cqpfidera^lp impo^ta^ce,} are
trees 'which are eomroonjto it and the.-north qf Europe.
In die 'gfdatef,,|rirt- of- A-fiatk-Riuffla-rthef*r&in deer,q which -extends! to Zoofogy.
tWifurifieflFeaft, perforiUs-'tfie' bffiefe ;of the horife,; thdeow,- and-the fheep;
if'^e'e^fepttMairieHatkafWhe'rb =d‘^'sphl£^’t-hnTo'mer-a®ian,-are uftd-'fbr
^'aTria^§. *?r flit the fojlth may pethaph'be eq’nfidered -aS ehe'li&tivC' counity
of ‘ndUle'ahimal the hoffe,*heingVhere foyiltf wild^Wwell ms'a
VpeVres df^th’e afs.11 The terrible krhs'of brfonris fet found in%d Cap-
"cafian *itioti‘fttains'';" afrd the',ai'^ali, ’or wild £E'eep5 is’^Kuntetl in Siberia.
Tfi^t'fihgtdar ,fmaHdfpe6ifs of-cattle‘ caHed'the Wuifc^oflf and-cow, ‘with
hair trailing on the ground, feems peculiar to the north of America.1'
The iliex or rock goatds''frequent on the Gau’caffampB.eeipiees-;' and large
’’frags A f r i r i “the rnotinta’ins ftfe^r the?^B‘rika-f,("wiriii the? mufk anir- .
-mal- and wild boar. Wolves, and foxes, and bears, , of various names
and'defcriptibns, are alfo found. That kind .of weazel called the fable
affords a Valuable traffic by itsVurs.'- Some kinds df, hares, appear, little
known in other, regions ; and the caftor or beaver., is an inmate:of the
Yenifei. The walrus, or large kind of leal, ohee termed the fea horfe,
is no ftranger to the araic ffioresq and,the common feal extends even
>■ Pennant A . Z. i. 2. See alfo Dec. Ruts. vi. 309. .
*» lb. 8. It feems a frnall fpecies^of the yak of Tibet ami Mongolia.' '
¥0L, IX. L to